Forty Years and Counting

40 Years and counting vlog transcript

       Happy New Year everyone, Builder Tom here, excited to announce that in 2022 Bickimer Homes is celebrating 40 years in business.  Yep, 40 years.  Think about how much our world has changed since Bickimer Homes opened its doors in 1982.  Back then Ronald Regan was president, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album became a smash hit and the first CD players were sold.  The 49ers won the Super Bowl, the Cardinals won the World Series and Great Britain won the Falkland Islands War.  Gas was 91 cents a gallon and the world wide web and cell phones were more imagination than reality.  The economy was a mess, particularly a housing industry crippled by mortgage rates that reached a staggering 18% in 1981.  So, yeah, 1982 was not an ideal year to start a homebuilding business, but here I am, 40 years later, doing something called a Vlog and telling you that somehow my wife, Mary, and I made it work.

        The housing industry and Bickimer Homes has gone through many changes over the last 40 years, but what I love about this business is how it encourages creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit while fostering a cooperative effort with its supplier and subcontractor partners, many of whom are family-owned small business owners like ourselves whose work ethic is the backbone of our nation’s economy.

        Bickimer Homes would not have gotten here without Tommy Bickimer, the president of our company.  He leads a talented all-star team that includes his sister, Kristen, and brother, John, and a great group of employees whose dedication and experience can only mean a bright future for Bickimer Homes. 

        40 years…. There’s something to be said for longevity and the perseverance that it takes, but the truth is you don’t get there without doing something that gets you out of bed every morning eager to meet the challenges and opportunities of the day.  Bickimer Homes has thrived because its employees embrace a core belief that there is something special and vital about building a new home for families of all shapes and sizes. 

        It is with a great deal of pride and gratitude that I am most fortunate to say, Bickimer Homes, building dreams on a solid foundation since 1982.  Thank you.